Word of Encouragement (12/08/2021)

“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed’” (Rev. 15:3-4).

When people are confronted with the almighty power and justice of God, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?” This includes not only God’s redeemed people but also the reprobates (i.e., the unrepentant sinners condemned to eternal damnation). Understandably, unrepentant sinners will fear the Lord, for they will know that the judgment they deserve is coming. But will they glorify His name, too?

We know that God made all things for His glory and pleasure. But it is not just His work of creation; God does all things for His glory: “The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass” (WSC, #7). “Whatsoever comes to pass” includes the Fall of Adam and Eve and everything that has happened, and will happen, in history. If He allows any evil to take place, it is because He is able to make something good out of it. If He allows Satan to do his wicked deeds, it is because He is able to outwit all of Satan’s evil schemes and use them to accomplish His good and holy purpose to His glory and Satan’s humiliation. If God can do that with Satan, He can do that with all sinners. Sin is sin even if God brings something good out of it. But sin will not prevail; God will. He will not fail to bring glory to His name. In the end, everything will end up glorifying God—even if it is against one’s will.

How will the reprobates glorify God’s name on Judgment Day when they will finally be confronted with the almighty power and justice of God? All their life on earth, they glorified God against their will. On that day, they will glorify God passively when God manifests the glory of “His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient” (WCF, 33:2). But will they ever glorify God “actively” in some sense of the word?

We get a glimpse of that in the Achan incident. He was the one, who took some things that were devoted to destruction in the city of Jericho. Because of his sin, Israel experienced defeat in its battle against the city of Ai. When the lot fell on him as the culprit, Joshua charged him, saying, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me” (Josh. 7:19). Achan did that and he was executed for his sin. It seems like something similar will happen on Judgment Day. The reprobates will glorify God by confessing their sins before Him. In the presence of an all-seeing God, they will not be able to hide anything.

If everything ends up glorifying God, what should distinguish the way we glorify God as His people? We should do it intentionally and gladly, not mechanically, begrudgingly, half-heartedly, or against our will. We should, and we can, glorify God in everything we do, including eating and drinking. Brothers and sisters, we will end up glorifying God somehow. What a privilege it is that we can glorify God willingly and joyfully! Can you think of some things you can do more intentionally and joyfully to glorify God’s name today?